[MD] Modern American Humanism and MOQ

[John Carl]

Hi Craig,

Let me just cut down to the juicy bit with which I disagree:


*Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.*



Craig:



> Yes, one can go thru life listening to only the music s/he can produce,
>  experiencing only the art s/he can create, eating only the food s/he
> can grow, getting medicine only from the bark of trees, having sex only
> with oneself.  And if that person is not good at dealing with society,
> this may be the maximum happiness s/he can get.  But this is not
> generally true of most people.
>
>
John:

You missed my point.  Of course I must interact with society, and desire to
do so as to maximize my individual happiness.  But making social benefit my
goal, is an entirely faulty formulation.  What kind of Society are we
talking about?  Mao's?  Hitler's?  Stalin's?  You get my point, I'm sure.
Working to benefit those kinds of society only undermines individual
happiness.  And for that matter, even those who spend their lives benefiting
a so-called "good" society often find that their other-directed lives are
meaningless and empty and driven by issues beyond their control or assent.
That one formulation alone, imo, undoes the entire humanistic manifesto.

John